Library Genrefication

At the end of last year we worked to genre-fy our fiction collection.  This process took several weeks, but it was well worth it.  The act of genrefication is a way in which books are organized in the library. After fielding several questions from students and staff on where to find books in a specific genre and researching the benefits, I decided to switch the fiction section to be organized by genre. The books were all labeled into a specific genre and then relocated on the shelves.  Although some books may cross genre’s it is labeled according to the dominating genre throughout the book.  The kids who visited in summer loved the new look.This way of organization is becoming more popular in school libraries and we are excited to be the first one to do it in Neenah! The following are the steps that I took to make this process work.

1. IDENTIFY GENRES AND COLORS 

Make a list of the genres you want represented and the colors you want to use for each genre. Think about what books your students ask for, and how they ask for them (the terminology they use). Consider also what your teachers might need for their classes. 

The genres (colors) we used include: 

Realistic Fiction (light blue) Fantasy/Science Fiction (yellow) Historical Fiction (light green) Action/Adventure (dark green) Mystery/Suspense/Horror (red) Graphic Novels (purple) 2. ORDER YOUR SUPPLIES  We ordered our supplies from Demco. You will need several rolls of the color coded labels.  We used the transparent color coded labels from Demco, so that we could place them over the existing label and still see the first three letters of the authors last name. Be sure also to order at least 1-2 extra rolls of color labels because you will also have to genre-fy new books as you receive them.   3. DECIDE HOW YOU WANT TO DESIGNATE EACH GENRE IN YOUR CATALOG. Our school district circulation system is Destiny. We decided to put the section name behind the existing call number for that book. For example, Brandon Mull's Fablehaven previously had a call number of MUL. We changed the call number to MUL FF. (Fantasy Fiction) Another possibility would be to put the genre name in the Sublocation or Copy Categories fields in Destiny, which would enable librarians and students to print book lists by genre. It does not really matter what your circulation system is or how you decide to do it. The most important thing is that you are consistent and your patrons can still find the books they want easily.  4. PICK UP A BOOK AND START GENRE-FYING. This part is very slow and detailed, The general order was: --Look at the cover and read the blurb. --Decide on a genre. For some books this will be obvious just by looking at the cover art. Other books will require some investigation. If in doubt, consult circulation catalog, Goodreads, Amazon, BN, students, other librarians before picking a genre. --Put the color label on the spine. --Change the call number and/or sublocation and/or copy category in the catalog. You'll still need to be able to look up the book in the catalog and find the it in the library! --Shelve with the genre section once they are created.